Katseye
Katseye is a girl group based in Los Angeles. The group is composed of six members: Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, and Yoonchae Jeung. With members from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States, Katseye is often described as a "global girl group".
The group was formed through the 2023 reality competition series Dream Academy, a collaboration between Hybe and Geffen Records. The group's formation process was later chronicled in the Netflix docuseries Popstar Academy: Katseye, which recounted the audition process, intensive training, and formation of the group. Katseye debuted in June 2024 with the single "Debut", followed by their breakthrough single, "Touch". They released their first extended play, SIS , later that year. In April 2025, they released "Gnarly" which served as the lead single for their second EP, Beautiful Chaos. Despite receiving mixed reactions on release, the single garnered significant attention and earned the group their first entry on the Billboard Hot100. Beautiful Chaos was released on June27, 2025, and debuted at number four on the Billboard200, their highest-charting release to date. The EP's second single "Gabriela" peaked within the top40 of the Hot100 and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, with the group also being nominated for Best New Artist at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
Katseye is recognized for their distinctive fashion identity, prominently drawing influence from Y2K fashion. Their growing brand image has led to multiple endorsements and campaigns tying into the style, including a campaign with Fendi's Baguette bag and Gap's low-rise denim. Katseye has also worked with British soap company Lush, American fashion house Coach, and Filipino fast food chain Jollibee. Humberto Leon acts as the group's creative director, taking inspiration from broad influences and utilizing the group's diverse backgrounds.
History
Name
In an interview with InStyle, group member Sophia explained that the name Katseye is derived from the gemstone chrysoberyl, specifically the cymophane variety, which is commonly known as "cat's eye". She explained that the gemstone's distinctive optical effect, where light appears to shift and reflect differently when viewed from various angles, corresponds to the composition of the group's members' diverse personalities, talents, and backgrounds. The group was initially planned to be named "Catseye," but during an interview with LA radio station KIIS-FM, it was revealed that Lara suggested altering the spelling to "Katseye," which the members felt gave the name a more distinctive and stylized appearance. Katseye's logo and branding were designed by Seoul-based graphic design studio Husky Fox, incorporating elements of the gem stone alongside the unity of the six members' unique backgrounds.Pre-debut activities and formation
Several members of Katseye had experience in professional dance, television, and the entertainment industry before debuting with the group. Sophia, born to Filipino musical theater actress Carla Guevara Laforteza, began singing at age three, and later made a television appearance on the game show Family Feud Philippines as a contestant in 2022. Atlanta-born Daniela began competitive dancesport at age three, and notably appeared on America's Got Talent season 8 in 2013, and became a Top 10 finalist on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation in 2016. Born and raised in Honolulu, Megan was also trained in professional dance from a young age. Lara, under the stage name Lara Raj, began acting and singing at an early age, featuring in a campaign video for Michelle Obama's Global Girls Alliance, an initiative for the Obama Foundation in 2018. Swiss-born Manon gained popularity through short-form video content on TikTok and Instagram, where she posted fashion and lifestyle clips beginning in 2021. She also pursued modeling work in Switzerland. Yoonchae, the group's youngest member and a native of South Korea, became a K-pop trainee in 2020 before joining the lineup of Dream Academy.Formal preparations for the group began in November 2021, when Hybe and Geffen Records launched a worldwide audition process for a girl group with "contestants from around the world", as part of the joint venture Hybe x Geffen Records. With auditions held across South Korea, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom in 2022, the partnership aimed to create a group that would "transcend national, cultural, and artistic boundaries". In an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily, Hybe founder Bang Si-hyuk expressed his intentions to promote the resultant group to the American market. From more than 120,000 applicants, twenty contestants were selected to participate in the reality competition series The Debut: Dream Academy, which determined the final lineup through a series of performance-based missions. Prior to the series premiere, the contestants were trained for a year in Los Angeles, California, through methods prevalent in the Korean idol trainee system. Premiering on August 19, 2023, the competition concluded on November 18, with Sophia Laforteza, Lara Rajagopalan, Yoonchae Jeung, Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzini, and Manon Bannerman selected as the six members of Katseye.
2024–present: ''SIS (Soft Is Strong)'' and ''Beautiful Chaos''
Katseye's formation and preparation for their debut EP were serialized in the documentary Pop Star Academy: Katseye, which premiered on August 21, 2024. Distributed by Netflix, the documentary was directed by Nadia Hallgren.In June 2024, Hybe confirmed that the release of the group's first EP was set for August that year. For the EP, Katseye collaborated with several songwriters and producers, including Ryan Tedder and Omer Fedi. Two singles preceded its release. The first single, "Debut", was released on June 28, with a music video filmed in Medellín, Colombia, directed by Gregory Ohrel. The single is an upbeat pop track that explores themes of confidence and sisterhood in reference to the members' bond as a group. The second single, "Touch", was released on July 26. The melodic drum and bass R&B track discusses the "complexity of love" and deviates from the sound of "Debut", emphasizing the members' vocals. The single ranked at number 22 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and entered the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 chart. "Touch" attained further success after its choreography went viral as a dance challenge on the video-sharing platform TikTok in September 2024.
The full EP, titled SIS , was released on August 16. With five tracks, the EP debuted at number 119 on the Billboard 200 as Katseye landed atop the Emerging Artists chart. In support of the EP, the group embarked on an Asian tour, which began in South Korea on September 12. Megan would refrain from touring from September 21, owing to her back injury. On November 14, Katseye released "Flame", the theme song for the Netflix animated series Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld.
On March 7, 2025, ahead of the announcement of any new music, Katseye was added to the lineup of Wango Tango 2025, scheduled for May 10. They were then added to the lineup of Lollapalooza in Chicago, scheduled for August 3. Katseye released a new single, "Gnarly", on April 30, which became their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was released as the first single from their second EP, Beautiful Chaos. On June 6, Katseye released a remix of "Gnarly" featuring rapper Ice Spice. On June 20, they released "Gabriela", the EP's second single. The track was accompanied by a music video styled as a telenovela and featured a cameo from actress Jessica Alba. Co-written by Charli XCX, "Gabriela" was described as a contemporary twist on Dolly Parton's "Jolene". On June 27, Beautiful Chaos was released, alongside a music video for the EP's third single, "Gameboy". The EP debuted in the fourth spot of the Billboard 200, their first entry in the top ten of the chart. On November 7, Katseye earned nominations for Best New Artist and Best Pop/Duo Group Performance at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. That same month, they embarked on the Beautiful Chaos Tour, their first concert tour. On the tour, they debuted a new song titled "Internet Girl", which was then officially released on January 2, 2026.
Endorsements
In September 2024, Katseye made their first New York Fashion Week attendance at the Spring Summer 2025 show for the American fashion company Coach, which in turn placed them in several promotional endorsements and content for the brand's released collection. Subsequently, Katseye were featured in Coach's collaboration campaign with the South Korean streetwear brand Matin Kim, which launched a line of ready-to-wear clothing exclusively for Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. Interview Magazine's editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg describes Coach, known for its blend of both "punkish and preppy" styles through denim looks, as a perfect match for Katseye's own brand.File:Gap & Old Navy Times Square NYC landscape.jpg|thumb|Gap "Better in Denim" campaign featuring Katseye displayed in Times Square, New York City
In April 2025, Katseye was featured in Fendi's Fendi For Yourself campaign, launched in celebration of the brand's 100th anniversary. The campaign highlighted two of Fendi's most popular handbags, the Baguette and the Peekaboo, both regarded as cultural symbols within the fashion industry. In May, Katseye partnered with Glossier to launch the brand's first lip oil product line titled 'Lip Glaze'. The collaboration featured six tinted oils, each shade corresponding to one of the group's members. In the same month, the group launched a collaboration with Urban Outfitters, where they performed live at the "UO Haul" event in New York on May 20 to showcase their single "Gnarly". Additionally, the group released an exclusive neon blue vinyl edition of their EP Beautiful Chaos, limited to 3,000 copies, for pre-order through Urban Outfitters. In June 2025, Katseye partnered with jewelry brand Pandora to release various charms selected by each member to represent individual motifs. In the same month, Katseye partnered with Lush to release a bath bomb and six collectable soaps. In August, they also launched a merchandise collaboration with Philippine fast food chain Jollibee. The next month, the brand released Katseye-themed menu items in its stores in the United States and Canada.
In August 2025, Katseye starred in Gap Fall 2025 "Better in Denim" campaign, dancing to a re-recorded version of Kelis "Milkshake" with original choreography by Robbie Blue. Achieving over 400 million views and 8 billion impressions across platforms in under 2 weeks, Gap CEO Richard Dickson described the campaign as a "cultural takeover", highlighting its unprecedented reach and impact on the brand's own image, with the ad garnering more views in its first three days than the brand's previous four releases combined. The campaign received wide praise for its emphasis on unity and cultural celebration, in contrast to an American Eagle jeans campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney released earlier in the year. While Sweeney's ad faced criticism for allegedly promoting eugenics, Katseye's ad was lauded for its inclusive and empowering message. In November 2025, Katseye recorded public service announcements for MTA New York City Transit's subway system. In January 2026, Katseye partnered with Laneige to promote their new JuicePop Box lip tints.